Hello and welcome to Strictly Come Dancing week SEVEN! Halloween is behind us – the cobwebs, face paint and devil horns are back in storage for another year – and we are half way to the final. It’s serious from here on out. Or as serious as glitter and fake tan can ever be…

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Pick up that metaphorical score paddle and join me, Ellie Walker-Arnott – RadioTimes.com’s official Strictly superfan – live from 6.30pm tonight to dissect the dancing, the judges’ catty comments and those occasionally cringe-worthy VTs.

You can tweet me your comments, questions, queries and snap judgements on tonight’s dances @Ellie_Wa or post in the comments box below.

19:59

That’s it from me, but not for Strictly this weekend. We’ve still got the results show tomorrow night, where our 10 celebrities will be whittled down to 9.

Tune in to BBC1 tomorrow night at 7.15pm to find out who has to hang up their dancing shoes.

I’ll see you back here same time, same place next Saturday night. And in the meantime, keeeeeep dancing!

Ellie x

19:54

So that’s it for this evening. This is what the leaderboard looks like… Peter’s at the top with 38 while Georgia has taken second place with 35. As standard, Carol’s brining up the rear with 17 points. Jeremy’s down there too with 21.

The vote is now official open so now is the time to make those calls/press those keys if your fave is in danger of the dance off…

“The problem is when you dance at that speed and with that amount of steps you can lose a little bit of control, and that’s what happened,” concludes Len, calling it a “fantastic performance.”

19:17

Anton and Katie are up next. They found themselves nearing the bottom of the leaderboard last week, just a few lives after coming top of the leaderboard. This week they are dancing the Quickstep. “If it goes will it could be amazing,” says Katie.

19:15

The scores are in… 8 from Craig, 9 from Darcey, 8 from Len, 9 from Bruno. That’s 34. A solid score, but not a scoreboard-topper.

19:12

“It was a polished performance, you must have used a Jay Cloth,” Len says, calling it “sleek, slick… clear and clean.”

Craig thinks Jay needs to up his acting game: “It felt like a warm-up to the main event.”

“You execute it to perfection,” concludes Darcey. “I love what you do.”

19:10

Their’s is a dramatic dance, full of tiny touches which make Jay look as strong a dancer has his pro Aliona. There are lifts aplenty too. And the audience are back on their feet.

19:09

Jay McGuiness is up next. He’s dancing an Argentine Tango. It’s a dramatic, exciting dance, which maybe has potential to be another high-scorer for him.

19:07

The scores are in: 8, 8, 7, 8. That’s a total of 31. Not as high as last week but it’s a good score. Everything’s peachy.

19:05

“I was totally transported into your romantic love story,” says Darcey. “There was so much that I liked. Thank you.”

“Basically, what’s on the label’s not in the tin… that for me lacked enough basic Rumba,” frowns Len. “For me it lacked content… however, having said that, you are a fantastic dancer.”

“My darling you were like a siren out there,” purrs Bruno. “The performance was absolutely beautiful.”

“I loved the drama,” concludes Craig. He liked it. “I’m going against Len,” he says, while the duo start arguing about the definition of a Rumba.

Maybe not a huge high-scorer then…

19:03

They are dancing to the song of the moment: Adele’s Hello. Helen said they felt extra pressure performing to such a popular tune, but it doesn’t show.

Their Rumba is smooth, seamless and sexy. I predict high scores for this one…

19:01

Helen George is up next. She’s dancing a sultry, sexy Rumba this week. It’s a tricky one. Cringe-inducing when it’s bad, brilliant when it’s good.

18:59

They get a 3 from Craig, 5 from Darcey and Len and a 4 from Bruno. 17, four more than last week. That smile ain’t slipping, but she does look a little sad.

18:54

Carol manages her lifts with grace, poise and a smile. And the teenage girl inside me is rather enamoured with her dance choice. Shania Twain should definitely get more air time.

“It was like watching a bumper car ride actually,” says Craig to boos from the crowd. “But I have to say it was a vast improvement on last week.”

“Without fail I can see the confidence and intent and energy you are putting into the dance,” adds Darcey. “A great improvement.”

“Carol, I love you because you are consistent. She’s weather proof and dance proof, nothing sticks,” says a catty Bruno.

18:53

Carol Kirkwood is up next, she’s dancing an American Smooth (with lifts!) this week, which should be an improvement on last week’s not-so-sexy Rumba.

18:52

The scores are in: 7 from Craig, 7 from Darcey, SEVEN! from Len and 7 from Bruno. More than last week, and rather fitting for week seven. If you’re a Jamelia fan I really do urge you to vote this week. Save the poor lamb from another dance for survival!

18:47

Jamelia and Tristan are up next. They were in the dreaded dance off AGAIN last week, so will be hoping and praying they keep out of the bottom two this week. There’s only so many times the judges can save you before it’s time to say goodbye…

They dance an elegant, focussed and confident Viennese Waltz. It’s not jaw-dropping but it’s a good performance. She shouldn’t really find herself in the dance off again…

“Great flow, great movement,” says Bruno.

“It did have flow and it did have grace,” says Craig. “But I thought you did really, really well.”

“You are stunning,” adds Darcey. “Well done.”

“The song is trouble but the dance was no trouble at all,” concludes Len, praising her footwork. “If you’re in the dance off this week I’m going to pickle my walnuts!”

18:44

The scores are in… Craig gives them a 9, Bruno gives them a 9, Darcey goes for a 10 and “It’s the first 10 from Len,” cries Goodman.

38. That’s the highest score of the series.

Looks like he has managed to beat Jay, taking the words right out of my mouth…

18:42

“First out, first class. You started the show with an absolutely showstopper. Your best dance,” says Len, even getting out of his seat to give him his own private standing ovation.

“Just what the doctor ordered,” says Bruno, praising his ability to embrace the character. “You did it.”

“I thought that performance was absolutely exceptional,” grins Craig.

While Darcey concludes “I nearly could even mistake you as a professional out there. You became the character, you became the style. It was excellent.”

Will it be a new top score…?

18:39

Peter Andre is up first with a Charleston. He’ll be really trying to embrace this character after the judges accused him of being a little samey last week.

It’s a fun performance and he’s certainly going for the cheeky faces that adorn this playful dance. And it ends on a crowd-pleasing lift, which gets everyone on their feet.

18:36

I reckon it’s about time we had some showstopping high scores. Jay’s Jive from Movie Week is still top. Will anyone be able to beat it tonight?

18:33

Here are our hosts for the evening, the ever glam Tess and Claud. And the judges. Len still missing out on the dancing to his seat because of a recent operation.

Our celebs are looking a lot more stylish than they were last week. Helen’s sporting a sparkly playsuit, Georgia’s got an understated party dress on and Jay McGuiness? Well the sparkly werewolf beard is long gone. Unfortunately.

18:30

And we’re off! Welcome back for another week of Strictly series 13. It’s week seven, presumably Len’s favourite. This also means things are getting serious. We are half way through the competition and just weeks away from the Blackpool special. It’s hotting up for the 10 couples who remain…

17:58

Just over half an hour to go until this week’s Strictly Come Dancing kicks off. Lets rewind back to last week to remind ourselves of how the leaderboard looked. Georgia and Giovanni topped the board for the first time, with 35 points, with Jay and Aliona coming in joint second.

While down at the other end, Carol came in last with a mean 13 points. Katie and Jeremy are also in the danger zone, as was Kirsty Gallacher, who found herself leaving the competition in last week’s results show.

16:02

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Here’s a reminder of what we’ve got this evening. There’s a Pet Shop Boys inspired Tango, plus a Waltz to Take That and a Charleston to Do your Thing by Basement Jaxx. Helen and Aljaz will Rumba to Hello by Adele while Anita and Gleb are Jiving to The Boy Does Nothing by former Strictly judge Alesha Dixon… Here’s the full list of dances.